Latest News From Applicators

This week's Machinery News covers U.S. and Canadian tractor and combine sales figures for March 2024, Jorge Heraud's new role at Rootwave, and John Deere's upcoming appearance in Washington D.C.

This roll up unites complimentary product portfolios and distribution channels to provide farmers with Smart Farming solutions and retrofit precision ag technologies, and OEMs with more factory fit options.

A recent breakout session at World Agri Tech Innovation Summit laid out some of the unanswered questions farmers need to sort through before adding a selective spraying system.

Spray drones are growing more ubiquitous and more scalable across agriculture. One company has unlocked the ability to deploy three at once and it’s a Smart Farming game changer.

A new S7 series combine, high-horsepower 9RX tractors, C series air carts and Hagie STS sprayers with factory-installed See & Spray Premium highlight a splashy group of product intros.

Johnnie Roberts, CPDA director of application – adjuvant chemistry, shares a solution to many of the common issues spray drone applicators face.

Unverferth enhances its lineup of Pro-Force dry fertilizer spreaders with two high-flotation undercarriage options: a track system and in-line walking tandem dual wheels, and ISOBUS-enabled boundary control.

Upgrade kits featuring the latest precision ag technologies are available for sprayers, planters and combines.

The team at Heartland Ag Systems offers their advice for keeping fertilizer spreaders running in top shape.

The new upgrade, BoomLoop, integrates with AgLeader InCommand displays and creates a “streamlined path for product to flow from boom ends and back into the spray tank.”

Sometimes it’s necessary to do things that aren’t by the book to get crippled machinery moving again. Here's how Dan Anderson used a penny and a dime to fix a hydraulic cylinder on a folding spray boom.

According to the team at Heartland Ag Solutions, taking the time now to prep equipment for spring is vital.

While farmers find the technology useful, especially for spot spraying and targeting fields in less-than-ideal conditions, weed scientists are buzzing with more caution.

Solinftec has been partnering with retailers in the Corn Belt to deploy 20 Solix robots in 2023.

From lubricating booms to cleaning and replacing spray tips, ace mechanic Dan Anderson emphasizes the importance of prioritizing upkeep during the spraying season.

Residual chemicals from sprayers can not only contaminate operators but also their families — even when gloves, goggles and aprons are worn.

The ONE SMART SPRAY integration is an important solution that will fast track the further enhancement of CNH Industrial’s precision and automated spraying capabilities.

“It’s clear the technology is here,” says Jason Weirich vice president of Agri Services at MFA Inc. “And it’s really up to us to figure out how this fits into our business and how we serve farmers.” 

Starting in 2024, AGCO will offer the Bosch BASF Smart Farming Smart Spraying technology on Fendt Rogator sprayers.

Green Creek Drone Company will be led by Tony Weber as general manager and will also be working closely with The Equity’s Agronomy Department providing custom application of fungicides in select areas in 2023.

Nadav Bocher, Co-founder and CEO of Greeneye Technology, says he plans on FBN being the primary go-to-market channel for machines in just a few years. 

Patrick Hoefling of Nutrien Ag Solutions and Odebolt, IA was named the 2022 recipient. 

What’s the future of ag machinery look like? Well, CNH Industrial pulled back on the curtain on its vision for the future.

Sprayers are being outfitted with new products and configured in new ways to make applications quicker, cheaper and more precise.

I’ve seen the same trend for the past 10 months with used mid- to high-horsepower tractors, combines and planters. Now, the trend is in self-propelled sprayers.

The technology and machine marriage mean one or more driverless machines can operate in the field without an operator present in the cab.

Three dozen cameras evenly spaced across a 120’ boom use artificial intelligence to target and spray weeds, cutting herbicide use by up to 80% and improving weed control

In mid-July, CNH Industrial announced its acquisition of Specialty Enterprises, the provider of Case IH’s aluminum spray booms since 2020. 

According to Titan Machinery, the final deal is for an aggregate total of $110 million.

Guardian Agriculture just partnered with Wilbur-Ellis to rollout what it calls the first fully autonomous crop protection aircraft system.

Reducing herbicide usage by 97% in pre-emergence and 88% in post-emergence spraying, Greeneye Technology might be the ‘next-big-thing’ in sprayer technology.

Linamar has said its adding Salford to the company is party of its “plans to drive innovation in the food and agriculture sector as part of its 2100 strategic roadmap.”

“The more tech we can develop to allow farmers to get productivity out of their land without having to spend so much money on fertilizer and inputs, the better off everybody is,” says John Deere's Julian Sanchez.

The same Canadian industrial corporation that acquired MacDon in 2018, Linamar, has announced it will acquire Salford Group, a manufacturer of tillage and application equipment.

GUSS is based in Kingsburg, California and has engineered a semi-autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayer.

“Technology is here, and it’s never going to go away. It’ll only advance more,” says Matthew Boomsma, Agtegra.

BASF and Bosch are developing new technology for weed management. Their system photographs weeds, signals nozzles to spray and records the data in milliseconds. Farmers then get a map printout for easy reference.

Let’s take a look at some of the common myths about spinner spreaders.

With a newly created role at Salford Group, David Webster joined the company after years at AGCO and will execute a strategic vision for continued growth in commercial application.

Yield monitors on combines. Module-building cotton pickers. Automatic row shut off on planters. Now for sprayers, will selective smart spraying systems be the next must-have productivity enablers? 

The FBN-assigned machine is in addition to the four of the systems (installed on four brands of sprayers) in operation in the U.S. Midwest.

David Webster said “Coming to the Salford team really aligns with my passion for commercial application and gives me the opportunity to provide leading solutions for commercial application businesses.

From boom priming and a nozzle control system to multiple camera functions, the six new sprayer products will be further field-tested this year.

The arrival of a precision, pellet-slinging, automated rover may provide almond growers with a cutting-edge NOW control weapon. Welcome to the age of robotic mummy removal.

In social media posts, John Deere is giving a peek behind the curtain for what’s coming. 

In 2020 field trials, the Greeneye Technology Selective Spraying System reduced herbicide use by 78% on average, with some farmers seeing a reduction of 90% or greater.

Kolby Watson of Simplot Grower Solutions in St. Anthony, Idaho has been named the AGCO Operator of the Year. He annually applies over 30,000 acres, has his CCA certification, and serves as local fire fighter.

As Mark Burns, Case IH application equipment marketing manager, explains the 50 Series was selected to unveil Case IH’s new look with an edgy and bold design—led by the aggressively styled hood.

As just one example, Anastasia a robotic setup from Sabanto Ag autonomously planted over 750 acres this spring across four states

Loftness has added the F810 to its FertiLogix line of fertilizer spreaders. This new 8-ton spreader comes standard with variable rate capabilities and offers multiple wheel and tire options to meet a wide range of needs